INDIANAPOLIS — After the purported "sign of weakness" and the trash talking and the three consecutive losses that suddenly has his team's season on the brink, Lance Stephenson finally got something off his chest Wednesday morning.

"I think this stuff bothered us a little bit," the Pacers' fourth-year guard admitted after shoot-around at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, referring to his poking-of-the-bear comments directed towards LeBron James prior to Game 4 of these Eastern Conference finals.

While James responded just as you'd expect — with 32 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, his finest performance of the series — Stephenson battled early foul trouble and was never a factor until the Heat had the game well in hand.

Miami, on cue, beat the Pacers from start to finish to take a commanding 3-1 series lead heading into tonight's Game 5. Stephenson said it's time their play does the talking, not the other way around.

"It's part of the game," Stephenson said. "I think I said some things that shouldn't have been said. Also Paul (George). We just gotta play basketball and stop worrying about all the other stuff."

In the locker room after Game 4, Stephenson said he had no regret about his comments.

Game 6 in Miami: Heat 117, Pacers 92 -- Miami stars LeBron James, center, and Dwyane Wade, right, lead the cheers from the bench as the Heat put away the Pacers in the fourth quarter.
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Game 6 in Miami: Heat 117, Pacers 92 -- Indiana forward Paul George (24) tries to pass out of a double-team by Miami defenders Dwyane Wade (3) and Chris Bosh (1) during the second half.
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Game 4 in Miami: Heat 102, Pacers 90 -- Indiana forward David West (21) scrambles for a loose ball against Miami forward Rashard Lewis (9) and LeBron James (6) during the second half.
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Game 4 in Miami: Heat 102, Pacers 90 -- Indiana guard C.J. Watson (32) tries to work out of a double-team by Miami defenders Udonis Haslem (40) and Norris Cole (30) during the first half.
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Game 3 in Miami: Heat 99, Pacers 87 -- The Miami bench and fans rise to their feet as Ray Allen (34) knocks down a clutch three-pointer during the Heat's decisive late run.
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George was slapped with a $25,000 fine for his "home-cooking" comments of the referees after Game 4. George said Wednesday, "I knew I was going to get fined. I was just speaking my mind. It's just how I felt the game was going."

As for Stephenson, he called the last few days "a learning experience." He's been both brilliant (a career playoff-high 25 points in Game 2) and bothersome in this series, putting on display the seesawing struggle between Good Lance and Bad Lance that Pacers fans have come to know all too well this season.

"It's part of the game, but it's between you and the guy on the floor," Stephenson said of trash talking with James. "And that's where I think I messed up. It was between me and him, not everybody else."

"I been learning since I got in the league," he added. "I came a long way. And I'm gonna keep learning 'til I get to that point where I'm a real pro."

Indiana, remember, put together its finest game of the postseason in Game 1, orchestrating a 106-97 victory over the Heat. It's gone downhill ever since. A come-from-behind win for Miami in Game 2 and two convincing victories over the weekend for the Heat on their home floor have the two-time defending champs in firm control.

"I think after Game 1, we got a little comfortable," said George Hill. "We haven't been ourselves."

The Heat, meanwhile, could be shorthanded for the second consecutive game. Two Miami reserves — sharpshooter Ray Allen (hip) and bruiser Chris Andersen (thigh) with injuries — did not participate in Wednesday morning's shootaround. Andersen missed Game 4 on Monday in Miami.

Asked of their statuses for the game, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said: "We will have to see."

Even if the two were to miss the game, the Pacers know full well the challenge remains a steep one.

"They still have LeBron James?" David West asked with a sarcastic smile. "(Losing Allen and Andersen) means nothing. If you've got that guy, you've got a chance."

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LeBron James and Paul George have company. Eight former All-Stars are playing in the East finals between the Heat and Pacers, along with 21 other players. USA TODAY Sports' Adi Joseph ranks them all.
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With a win, the Heat will become the first team to reach four consecutive NBA Finals since Larry Bird's Boston Celtics did so from 1984-87. In the Big Three Era (since 2010), Miami's jumped ahead in a series 3-1 on eight separate occasions; each time, they've closed things out in Game 5.

To a man, the Miami players and coaches expect Indiana's best tonight.

"There's no other context to it," Spoelstra said. "We're not talking about what the game means, we're not talking about the past, we're not talking about the future, we're not talking about legacy.

"The keys of the game are to beat a team that's going to bring their very best on their home court."

Miami forward Chris Bosh, who enjoyed his finest playoff scoring performance in more than three years in Game 4, was asked if finishing off the Pacers on their home court would be any sweeter.

"You always take a certain liking to that," Bosh said.

For Indiana, and particularly for Stephenson, the task at hand is straightforward: A win and they will live to play another day.

"Hey, it's all about playing basketball, and that's what we gotta get focused on," he said. "Not trash talk, not the refs. Just gotta play basketball."